Evaporating nozzle for a liquid fuel burning torch



March 14, 1961 R. w. BLANCHARD EVAPORATING NOZZLE FOR A LIQUID FUELBURNING TORCH Filed Dec. 2'7, 1955 INVENTOR ROSWELL W. BLANCHARD 4 #1 IK i ATTORNEY United States Patent EVAPORATING NOZZLE FOR A LIQUID FUELBURNING TORCH Roswell W. Blanchard, Fitchburg, Mass, assignor toWorcester Taper Pin Co., Worcester, Mass.,'a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed Dec. 21, 1955, Ser. No. 555,508

a Claim. or. 158-214 This inventionirelates to a new and improved liquidfuel burning torch, and the principal object of the invention resides inthe provision of a greatly simplified and I much more eflicientevaporation means for liquid fuel such as gasoline, kerosene, etc. inthe nozzle of the torch. It has been proposed in the prior art toprovide various mechanical means in an attempt to increase the degree ofev-aporization of "liquid fuels by providing sinuous and tortuouspassages in the nozzle in order .to increase the evaporating surfacetherein. The, present evaporation surface in any torch of the classdescribed.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a new andimproved nozzle for a liquid fuel burning torch as above described, saidnozzle comprising a solid body of porous sintered metallic finelydivided material forcing a combined gas such as oxygen and a liquid fuelsuch as gasoline or kerosene to traverse the 3 solid porous nozzle inorder to arrive at the burning orifices, whereby the liquid fueliscompletely'evaporated and provides the best possible burning flamewhether the torch is to be used for cutting or welding.

pear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l isa section through the hand and nozzle of a torch according to thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sections on the respective lines in Fig. l;and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views illustrating modifications.

Only so much of the torch is illustrated herein as is necessary for anunderstanding of the present invention. As is well known in this art,there are many examples of liquid fuelburning torches, of which examplesare Browning PatenLQNo. 1,879,789 and Miller et 'al. No. 2,362,213.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the reference numeral 10 indicates the head ofthe torch in which is arranged a passage 12 for the combined liquid fueland a low-pressure gas such as for instance oxygen. There is also aOther objects and advantages of the invention will appassage as at 14for a high-pressure gas such as oxygen.

2,974,723 Patented Mar. 14, 1961 "ice The tip 16 is in the form of acylinder or bullet-shaped hollow member which is provided withcorresponding passages aligning with that at 12 and 14. The nozzle 16has a flange 20 by which it is secured to head 10 by a cooperatingflanged nut 22. Interposed between the head and nozzle tip is a block 23which may be separate or integral with the base of the nozzle.

In order to provide the greatest possible evaporating surfaces for theliquid fuel within the nozzle, this invention contemplates the provisionof a solid porous member completely filling the evaporation chamberwhich comprises the hollow within the nozzle or tip 16. This solidmaterial is indicated generally at 24 in Fig. l, and it comprises asintered metallic core or body, individual particles of which areextremely fine and are preferably made of bronze or the like to preventrust. Any other metal would be advantageous also in the evaporation ofthe liquid fuel. This core is represented in the drawings on anexaggerated scale since the metallic particles are so small that thecore 24 upon examination by the unaided eye appears almost to benonporous as well as solid; but by reason of the fact that the smallmetallic particles are spherical, it will be seen that upon sinteringthey become brazed to each other as is best illustrated in Fig. 3.Wherever the metallic balls or like elements touch each other, theybecome brazed together, and this leaves an enormous numberof smallminute passages which extend tortuously from end-to-end, and also ofcourse laterally, of the solid body 24.

In turn, this means that the largest possible evaporation surf-ace isprovided for receiving the flow of the liquid fuel as at the entrancepassage 26 in block 23, and this in turn means that at the orifices 18,the liquid fuel will be very highly evaporated or gasified and will bein such an extremelyfinely divided state as to burn with a maximum. ofefliciency, so that there is substantially no vided with an annularpassage 28 surrounding the base of the solid core 24 and thus equalizingthe entrance pressure of the liquid'fuel and low-pressure gas evenlyabout the entire base of the solid core 24. i

. The high-pressure gas in passage. 14 passes directly through the coreby reason of the provision of a centrally elongated tube 30 whichprovides the central pas sage therefor. However, this central passagecould be a cored hole without the sleeve 30 as is indicated at 32 inFig. 5 without departing from the invention, and the high-pressure gaswill still exit through its own orifice 34in the tip of 'the nozzle.

In the event that it is desired to cut by means of the flame, thehigh-pressure oxygen is used, but Where Welding or brazing is to bedone, the high-pressure oxygen is cut off as by means of theconventional valve provided therefor and not herein shown. However, ifit is desired to provide a special nozzle tip merely for welding orbrazing, the sintered solid porous core may emit the central passageprovided by sleeve 30 and cored hole 32, and thus it may be solid fromside-to-side thereof as shown at 36 in Fig. 6. In this case, thelow-pressure gas and liquid fuel enter as before at passage 26 but thehighpressure fuel is completely cut off and is not utilized at all. v

This inventionprovides the maximum evaporation surface that is possiblefor a torch of the class described and thereby the liquid fuel isextremely efficiently vaporized and issues from the orifices 18 in agaseous state, providing for complete burning of the fuel with nounburned particles or soot being formed. The liquid fuel andlow-pressure gas are of course intimately mixed by reason of the.extremely great number and irregularities of the passages from end-mendof the core as deamass scribed above, and this together with the maximumvaporization surface created by the large number of individual metalballs provides the optimum inburning efficiency of the liquid fuel, andeliminates flash baclg. I

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. Apparatus for spraying a liquid in substantially gaseous formcomprising a shell-like nozzle tip having separated entrance and exitorificm, a source of liquid and gas under pressure, means conducting theliquid and gas to the nozzle tip through the entrance orifice, and afinely divided porous material substantially filling the nozzle tip, theporous material being composed of a plurality of relatively smallmetallic sintered ball-like elements.

2. Apparatus for vaporizing a liquid comprising a hollow nozzle tip, asource of gas under pressure, a source of liquid, means conducting thegas and liquid to the nozzle tip, and a relatively finely divided poroussolid material substantially filling the nozzle tip, the latter havingan exit orifice, and the liquid and gas entrance to the nozzle tip beinglocated at a point remote from the orifice so that the liquid and gastraverse the material to reach the orifice, said material comprising arelatively large number of small ball-like sintered metallic elementsfixed together and providing many small sinu ous passages therethrough.

3. Apparatus for vaporizing a liquid comprising a nozzle tip, a sourceof gas underpressure, a source of liquid, means conducting the gas andliquid to the nozzle tip, and a relatively finely divided porous solidmaterial substantially filling the nozzle tip, the latter having an exitorifice, and 'the'liq'uid and .gas entrance to the-nozzle tip beinglocated at apoint remote from the orificeso that the liquid and gastraverse the material to reach the orifice, said material comprising arelatively large number of small ball-like elements fused together intoa fixed mass.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including an unimpeded passage through theporous material leading to the exit orifice for additional fluid at theorifice. 1

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising an elongated "hollownozzle tip, a source of gas under'pr'ssure, a source of fluid, meansconducting the gas and fluid to the nozzle tip at one end thereof, arelatively finely divided porous solid material substantially fillingthe nozzle tip, the latter having an exit orifice, and the fluid and gasentrance to the nozzle tip being located at a point remote from theorifice 'so that the'fluid and gas traverse the material to reach theorifice, said material comprising a number of small metallic elementssintered into asolid mass. v g

6. The apparatus of claim 5 including an unimpeded central gas passagethrough the porous solid mass, and a separate g'as entrance and orificefor said gas passage.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 including an unimpeded central gas passagethrough the porous solid mass, and a separate gas entrance and orificefor said gas passage, said fluid and gas entrance including an annulargroove about the gas entrance end of the tip.

8. Apparatus for vaporizing a liquid for a liquid burning torchcomprising a hollow tip, sources of gas and liquid, means conducting thesame to the nozzle, a vaporiz-ing member in the nozzle, said vaporizingmember comprising a body of solid material, said body being providedwith a plurality of tortuous relatively small irregular passagesextending continuously from end to end thereof, said passages beingadapted to conduct combined gas and fluid the length of the nozzle, saidbody of solid material comprising sintered metal powder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS188,322 Watkins Mar. 13, 1877 664,762 Kit'son Dec. 25, 1900 1,197,503Land Sept. 5, 1916 Oct. 24, 1,269,282 Howard June 11, 1918 1,991,638Suuderman Feb. 19, 1935 2,352,213 Miller et a1. Nov. 7, 1944 2,551,114Goddard May 1, i951 FOREIGN PATENTS 116,259 Great Britain Jan. 27, 1919339,307 Great Britain Dec. 4, 1930

